The inaugural voyage of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s first vessel Evrima has been pushed back to August 6.
The 149-suite yacht was scheduled to launch on May 6 from Lisbon, Portugal, but will now set sail from Athens (Piraeus), Greece.
It marks the latest in a string of delays for the new line. Evrima had initially been due to launch in February 2020, however this was pushed back to June 2020 and, later, April 2021.
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection said the latest hold up was “due to the ongoing supply chain and labour challenges created by Covid-19, and the impact on construction operations”.
Chief executive Douglas Prothero said: “Like many in manufacturing, we have experienced significant impact from Covid-19 variants as it relates to labour and supply chain disruptions, and we have had to re-evaluate the timing of our first voyage.
“We continue to make significant progress on Evrima and look forward to welcoming guests onboard this summer. We thank our guests for their support as we continue to navigate an evolving global landscape.”
The line said it is contacting impacted guests and their travel agents. Guests affected by the schedule change may choose to reschedule their voyage to an available itinerary in 2022, 2023 or 2024, or discuss reimbursement options through The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.
A unnamed sister ship is being built at the H.J. Barreras Shipyard in Vigo, Spain and a third vessel is understood to be on order.